


i wanna be your girlfriend

by lunarsword



Category: Total Drama (Cartoon)
Genre: AND they both have ocd because also yeah, F/F, F/M, also courtney and trent are stepsiblings because yeah, the unholy crossover between band au and hs au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-18 21:26:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14860586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunarsword/pseuds/lunarsword
Summary: Courtney gets more than she bargained for when she agrees to help her stepbrother with his band.





	1. realizations

Courtney sighed and tapped her fingers against the table, her eyes glued to the empty sign-up sheet. Two hours,  _ two hours  _ she’d been sitting here, and not a single soul had even come over.

 

If she’d been anyone else, maybe she would have called it quits by now. But no - she was Courtney Marino-Singh, and Courtney Marino-Singh  _ did not quit _ . Especially when quitting would mean packing her stuff up in front of everyone and leaving the foyer, letting them all know that she hadn’t gotten a single sign-up. 

 

No, she would wait until the clubs fair ended, because she was a trooper. Besides, maybe in the remaining hour, at least  _ someone _ would sign up.

 

_ Ugh.  _ Courtney rested her head in one hand, the other still drumming the table.  _ Maybe I should have just joined Trent’s band when he offered. _

 

She could see, clear across the foyer, that said band had a ton of potential auditioners and even more fans, and she sighed.  _ God, I could be co-running that booth instead of trying to set up my own club.  _

 

_ Oh, fuck it _ . Pushing her chair back, she abandoned her post at her table and made her way over to Trent’s, shoving past the crowd until she was right at the front.

 

“Trent. I changed my mind. I’ll join the band.”

 

A smile broke across his face. “Aw, sweet! Pull up a chair - you can start scheduling auditions, I know you like that stuff.”

 

Courtney eagerly obliged, looking over the auditions list. There were at  _ least  _ three pages already, and she couldn’t help but be surprised. “Holy shit, Trent, how’d you get so many people?”

 

He shrugged. “People like music more than you gave them credit for, I guess.”

 

“How come she doesn’t have to audition?” someone asked from the back of the crowd.

 

“Because I’m his stepsister, and he already knows I’m good,” was Courtney’s curt reply, which shut the asker up.

 

She turned to her brother. “How many people do we want, exactly?”

 

He gave a noncommittal shrug. “Depends.”

 

Courtney narrowed her eyes. “It  _ depends _ ? On what, exactly?”

 

“On how many people we like the sound of.”

 

Courtney put a hand to her forehead. “On how many...God, Trent. We need a set number!”

 

He sighed in defeat. “Fine. We need a bassist, a drummer, and maybe another singer.”

 

Courtney raised an eyebrow. “You don’t want to sing?”

 

Again, he shrugged. “I don’t  _ mind  _ doing it, but I’m way more comfortable on guitar. If I’m needed, I’ll fill in.”

 

Courtney felt a little guilty that she’d just ruined the chances of any guitarist hopefuls, but the pang soon subsided as she got back to working on scheduling the auditions and sending out emails.

 

Soon enough, the hour was up, and she returned to her own table to clean up and get rid of the shameful failure as soon as she could.

 

They’d filled another two pages of auditions, and she planned to schedule the rest once they got home, but first she had to erase the evidence.

 

With a sigh, she took her poster and empty sign-up sheet and shoved them in the nearest trash can, stomping on it for good measure. 

 

Then, satisfied, she swung her bag over her shoulder and hurried outside to catch her ride home.

  
  
  


Trent’s father was waiting in the parking lot like he usually did, and Courtney groaned when she realized what the extra time she’d spent trying to hide her shame had cost her - Trent was sitting in the front seat. She usually got to the car before him, and so she’d always gotten to sit there, but it looked like today was an exception.

 

Even so, she slid into the back seat without much complaint. It was her own fault she was late, after all. “Sorry for taking so long, Mr. Richards.”

 

The man in the driver’s seat let out a small sigh. “You know, Courtney, you don’t have to call me Mr. Richards. I’m not saying you have to call me Dad, but there’s no need to be so formal, either. David is fine. Or Dave, if you want.”

 

Courtney swallowed hard. “Um...okay. Sorry for taking so long...David.”

 

He laughed. “It’s fine. You haven’t taken long at all. So, how were your days today?”   
  
Trent answered “Good,” at the same time as Courtney muttered “Fine.”

 

“Clubs fair go alright?” David asked. “Get many people who wanted to audition for the band? And your...um...sorry, Courtney, what was it?”

 

“LSAT prep group,” Courtney replied. “And no. I didn’t get anyone, so I just joined up with Trent.”

 

“We got five pages’ worth of auditions,” Trent added. “Courtney’s still scheduling them, but I don’t think we’re going to have a free lunch period all week.”

 

“We won’t. Not a full one anyways. I did the math in my head, and we should finish halfway through lunch on Friday.”

 

Not that that would give them enough time to do much of anything, since they’d still have to actually decide who was in the band.

 

David pulled into the driveway, and Courtney quickly grabbed her bag and hurried up to her room to finish the audition schedule and get started on her homework.

 

She was halfway through physics when her mother called her downstairs. “Courtney! Dinner’s ready!”

  
  
  


Dinner was Courtney’s favourite - doubtless her mother had heard about the clubs fair fiasco - but she’d lost her appetite for the day and had resigned to pushing the pasta around her plate absentmindedly. 

 

“ _ Mija,  _ what’s wrong?” 

 

“Nothing. I’m fine,” Courtney lied.

 

Of course, her mother didn’t buy it. “Courtney.”

 

Courtney sighed. “I’m upset that no one wanted to join my LSAT prep group, okay? I know I’m helping Trent with the band instead, but...it would have been nice to have my own club.”

 

She stood up abruptly then. “I’m full.”

 

Like usual, she cleaned her plate before retreating upstairs to finish her physics homework.

 

After tucking the assignment safely into her physics folder, she picked up her guitar and sat on her bed, plucking at a familiar melody.

 

“ _ Gentle leaves, gentle leaves, please array a path for me - the woods are blowing thick and fast around. _

 

_ Columbine, columbine, please alert this love of mine. Let him know his Margaret comes along…” _

 

The song was one of her favourites, but something about it felt off this time.

 

A strange thought came to Courtney’s head, and she launched back into the second part of the first verse.

 

“ _ Columbine, columbine, please alert this love of mine. Let...her...know her Margaret comes along…” _

 

She set the guitar down with a jolt. 

 

_ Oh, no… _


	2. complications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Auditions start, and Courtney finds something unexpected.

Courtney was still in shock as she entered the auditorium for the first set of auditions. She’d barely paid attention to her morning classes, much to her own shame. Last night’s events had thrown her off, and no matter how hard she tried to push it away, the same questions kept reappearing in her mind.

 

_ Am I gay? Do...I like...girls? No, no...that can’t be it… _

 

Trent seemed to notice her distraction, because he elbowed her in the ribs, knocking her out of her own head.

 

“Ow! What was  _ that  _ for?”

 

He shoved a clipboard into her hands. “It’s audition time. Get your head out of the clouds, Courtney!”

 

“Right, sorry.” The first name on the clipboard wasn’t one Courtney was familiar with, and the girl’s performance of Seven Nation Army set it in stone that she most likely wouldn’t remember it.

 

She and Trent would almost definitely clash on some things - he was a lot nicer than she was, after all. Luckily for her (and unluckily for the girl), they were in agreement here.

 

Anyone doing a White Stripes song was already asking for high expectations -  _ one of Trent’s favourite bands? Come on,  _ Courtney thought, but especially if you were auditioning for bassist with Seven Nation Army. One of the most well-known basslines of all time - you couldn’t afford to fuck it up.

 

The next name on the list was another one Courtney didn’t know - and another bassist, at that.

 

“Bridgette Davies...Trent, do you know who this is?” 

 

He nodded. “She’s in my biology class. She moved this year from Vancouver. I heard she surfed, but I didn’t realize she played bass, too.”

 

The sound of footsteps caught Courtney’s attention as a blonde girl walked onstage with a bass guitar already slung over her shoulders.

 

She tapped the mic. “Hey. I’m Bridgette, I play bass, and I’ll be performing Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain.”

 

Courtney nearly flew back in her seat. Fleetwood Mac had been one of her favourite bands for as long as she could remember.  _ She’d better do it justice. _

 

Bridgette started to play, and eventually, she started to sing.

 

“ _ Listen to the wind blow, watch the sun rise… _ _   
_ _ Run in the shadows, damn your love, damn your lies…” _

 

She stopped, giving a small smile.

 

“Sorry, I know that’s not the highlight, but I thought I’d start there...in any case…”

 

She dove back into the song, this time playing the bridge - and she was doing it beautifully, too.

 

Courtney was mesmerized. It took almost all of her energy to avoid blurting out “You’re in!” when Bridgette finished, bowed politely, and left the stage.

 

She turned to Trent. “I -”

He grinned. “You love her, don’t you.”

 

“I - I love her bass playing! And she has a great voice!” Courtney stammered. “I don’t like her  _ like that _ , I barely know her!”

 

Trent seemed confused. “Where did I...Courtney. What are you hiding?”

 

“No time for that! I’ll...I’ll tell you at home, okay?”

 

He nodded, and they went back to watching auditions.

  
  
  


By the time lunch period was over, Courtney had heard more mediocre renditions of Seven Nation Army than she would have cared to hear in a lifetime, and she almost regretted scheduling all auditions for a single instrument in a block.

 

Almost. 

 

She had to admit, though, she was excited that Bridgette would most likely be joining the band. 

 

The afternoon was a lot more productive than the morning had been, though Courtney still wasn’t entirely focused. Sure, the initial panic had passed, but now she had to tell Trent. She’d made a promise, and she was a girl of her word (most of the time).

 

As soon as they got home, she pulled Trent aside and motioned for him to follow her to her room.

 

“Court, you don’t have to pull so hard -” he protested, but she put a finger to her lips and yanked him into her room, closing the door.

 

“You have to promise not to tell Mom or David  _ anything,  _ okay?” she whispered fiercely. 

 

Trent nodded. “Promise.”

 

Courtney took a deep breath. “Okay. I think...that maybe, just  _ maybe,  _ I might be...gay.”

 

She whispered the last word, eyes darting back and forth as if someone might be listening in.

 

“And that’s why you got so defensive when I guessed that you loved Bridgette? Is that why you were so out of it today in general?” 

 

She nodded. “Yes. Now. Don’t. Tell. A. Soul. Or I’ll cut your guitar strings while you sleep.”

 

“I’ll keep your secret!” Trent cried indignantly. “No need to resort to threats like that.”

 

“Good. Now get out. I have homework to do.”

 

With Trent gone, Courtney settled on her bed with her own guitar. Racking her brain, she tried to find a song she wanted to play, but all she was drawing were blanks.

 

Sighing, she cracked open her math textbook and began to study for the test that had been announced in class.

  
  
  


None of the singers were remarkable in the slightest, and the drummers hadn’t impressed much either. There was only one audition left, and both Trent and Courtney were starting to get a little fed up.

 

“Drums. If this last girl sucks, what are we going to do for drums?” Courtney asked. “Do we call it quits?”

 

“Don’t say that!’ Trent snapped. “We’ll find a way to make things work, but we are  _ not  _ ending the band.”

 

“This Gwen girl better be good, then,” Courtney muttered.

 

She could have sworn Trent’s eyes widened at the name, and her hunch was only confirmed when the girl came onstage.

 

Gwen sat down at the drum kit without so much as a word, and immediately launched into a high-energy, fast-paced solo. 

 

Courtney was in awe. She played so fast, and yet the beats were clear and rhythmic. 

 

Gwen finished her solo, gave a quick bow, and walked off, muttering a quiet “Thanks.” as she did so.

 

“That was...fantastic,” Courtney said, turning to Trent. “What did you th...Trent? Trent? Oh, forget it, I know what your answer is.”

 

Her stepbrother looked absolutely lovestruck, which only furthered Courtney’s suspicion that the Gwen who’d just played for them was the same Gwen Trent had a crush on.

“So, should we email Gwen and Bridgette and tell them to meet us here after school?” she asked.

 

Trent didn’t respond, and Courtney snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Trent! Get it together!”

 

“Hm? Oh. Uh, yeah. Let’s do that.”

 

Courtney couldn’t help but grumble a little as she typed out the email and sent it, but she was much more excited about their first band meeting than she was annoyed with Trent’s spaciness.

 

(Besides, he’d been patient when  _ she’d  _ been the distracted one. The least she could do was to give him the same courtesy.)

  
  


Her last two periods passed by like a blur - if she hadn’t taken notes, she would have likened them to some sort of fever dream.

 

But no, school was over, and now she was sitting in the auditorium warming up for the first band practice.

 

“ _ I took my love, I took it down. _

_ Climbed a mountain and I turned around. _

_ And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills, _

_ ‘Til the landslide brought it d... _ Bridgette?!”

 

“I came in while you were in the middle of it, and I didn’t want to interrupt...you have a beautiful voice.”

 

Courtney smiled. “You’re pretty great yourself.”

 

The blonde waved a hand. “I’m alright. Either way...you like Fleetwood Mac too?”

 

Courtney nodded. “My dad practically raised me on them. They’ve been among my favourites my whole life.”

 

“That would explain how you can capture the vibe of Landslide like that. You’re amazing.”

 

The brunette shook her head. “I’m nothing special. Landslide...reminds me of an ex. That’s all it is, really.”

 

Bridgette’s face fell. “Ouch. I’m sorry about that...still, your singing is something else. Your ex is missing out.”

 

Heat rose in Courtney’s cheeks. “Thanks, Bridgette. That...that helps a lot.”

 

She turned towards the auditorium door, watching for a sign of Trent or Gwen. “Where  _ are  _ they?” she muttered. “We don’t have all day…”

 

Bridgette was now watching as well. “I’m sure they’ll show up.”

 

Courtney frowned. “They’d  _ better _ . Trent’s a dead man if he doesn’t.”

 

Her companion smiled. “Hey, if they don’t, maybe we can form a duo.”

 

“At the very least, we get to pick any cover songs,” Courtney laughed, opening her laptop. “What other groups do you like, besides Fleetwood Mac?”

 

Bridgette pondered the question for a minute. “Um...Talking Heads, The Beach Boys...Tame Impala... Oh, and Rush, of course. I’m a Canadian bass player, after all. What about you?”

 

“The Decemberists, Lindsey Stirling, The Killers, Mother Mother…”

 

Bridgette’s face lit up. “I love Mother Mother! I can’t believe I forgot about them...they’re even from Vancouver. I feel ashamed.”

 

“You’ve been corrupted after living in Ontario,” Courtney snarked lightheartedly, and for a moment she lost herself in Bridgette’s laughter at her dumb joke.

 

She was interrupted, though, by Trent walking into the auditorium.

 

She glared at him. “Finally! It took you long enough!”

 

He held his hands up defensively. “Woah! My class went over time. Gwen’s in that one too - I think she’ll be here in a minute.”

 

As if on cue, Gwen appeared behind him. “Sorry I’m late,” she said. 

 

It didn’t take them long to get set up, and soon all four band members were sitting in a circle on the middle of the stage, poring over a list of artists.

 

Surprisingly, Gwen actually liked a lot of the same music as Trent, and she even had a few favourites in common with Courtney in spite of her overall more hardcore tastes.

 

_ And thank God for that, _ Courtney thought.  _ My voice _ really  _ isn’t suited for screamo. _

 

She gave the list a once over. “This is good. Originals can come later - for now I think covers will be fine. We should get to know each other as a band first before we start getting serious.”

 

“We also need a new practice space,” Gwen pointed out. “We aren’t the only people who might want to use the auditorium.”

 

Trent nodded and gave her a smile. “Luckily, we have that covered already.”

 

Courtney shot him a look. “We do?”

 

“Dad agreed to let me use the music room for band practices before you signed on. Did I not tell you that?”

 

She shook her head. “You didn’t. If you had, I would’ve had a chance to clean up.”

 

“Don’t worry about that,” Trent waved a hand. “I already did it for you.”

 

Courtney fought the urge to scream at him.  _ No one  _ touched her stuff without asking. 

 

She faked a smile. “How...considerate of you. I guess we should move there, then…”

 

The two other girls agreed, and as they began packing up their gear, Courtney grabbed Trent’s shoulder. 

 

“Never, ever touch my instruments again without permission first. Got it?”

 

He nodded, and she flashed him a smile and a “Thanks!” before joining Bridgette and Gwen in moving their things.

  
  
  


Once the move to Trent and Courtney’s basement had been completed, the foursome started working on narrowing down their set. 

 

Courtney took the list and read through it. “We have a lot of options here. After that listening party, these fifteen artists are the ones we could all agree on. We could pick one song from each - or at least work up to that. Maybe we should start with our three favourites…”

 

“You’re overthinking things,” Gwen said. “Your ideas are good, but you gotta get out of your own head first.”

Courtney gasped. “Me? Overthinking things? That’s…”

 

She looked back on the emotional wave she’d been on for the past week. “...that’s probably true. Do any of you have ideas?”

 

Bridgette raised her hand. “Starting with three songs is good, and so is eventually working up to including all the artists on our list. But I think we should pick the first three based on what kind of songs they are. We can have one higher-energy one, one ballad, and one that’s a bit of both.”

 

Courtney stared at her. “That’s brilliant. How did I not think of that?”

 

Gwen shrugged. “You were too focused on trying to make us all happy. That’s admirable, but it’s not gonna get us anywhere.”

 

“You’re pretty smart yourself, Gwen,” Courtney smiled. “Thanks. Now,” she waved the list in the air. “Let’s pick our songs.”

  
  


Gwen glanced at the clock. “It’s been an hour already. Can one of you just give up so we can start practicing?”

 

Courtney shook her head. “No way! I am  _ not  _ singing that.”

 

Trent glared at her. “You’re gonna have to suck it up and do it, because I’m not backing down.”

 

Courtney laughed. “If you think  _ I’m  _ going to be the one sucking it up, you’ve got another thing coming!”

 

As the two stepsiblings argued, Gwen turned to Bridgette. “Got 

any ballad suggestions? Clearly neither one of  _ them  _ is going to budge. Maybe they’ll compromise.”

 

Bridgette nodded. “Maybe. It’s worth a shot…are you sure you don’t have any suggestions of your own first?”

 

Gwen laughed. “Me? Ballads? Sorry, but it’ll be a few weeks before you all find out which of those I listen to.”

 

Evidently, that meant she wasn’t going to give Bridgette any help. 

 

The blonde racked her brain. Surely there had to be a song Courtney and Trent could agree on. 

 

She picked up the list and tried to set aside her own bias, looking for a musical compromise.

 

Admittedly, she wasn’t quite sure which artists would  _ work  _ as compromises, with her limited knowledge of Trent and Courtney’s music tastes. 

 

A light went off in her head. There was risk to this one, but she knew both of them liked the band.

 

“Courtney,” she said tentatively. “How willing would you be to sing Landslide?”

 

The brunette shrugged. “I’ve got no problem with it. Associations or not, it’s better than Maroon 5.”

 

Trent shot his sister a glare, but nodded. “I’m not opposed to that being our ballad. It’s better than Courtney’s suggestion. You sing enough Decemberists on your own time, anyways.”

 

“Moving on!” Courtney exclaimed, glancing at the clock. “It’s six, and a Friday night. Why don’t we keep talking band stuff and order a pizza?”

 

Gwen shrugged. “Fine with me.”

 

Bridgette nodded. “I’m in!”

 

“Great! I’ll call the pizza place. What toppings do you like?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> songs in this chapter: landslide and the chain by fleetwood mac  
> songs in ch 1: won't want for love (margaret in the taiga) by the decemberists


	3. revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get kinda gay.

Thirty minutes later, the pizza had arrived and the topic had moved away from the band. 

 

“So,” Courtney asked, “when did you all have your first kiss, and with who? I’ll go first. My first kiss was in grade nine, with my now-ex boyfriend. I had just puked. And no, I will not elaborate further.”

 

Trent thought for a moment. “Grade seven. I think her name was Tiffany. She kissed me behind the lockers one day, and then never spoke to me again. To this day, I’m  _ still  _ confused.” He motioned to Bridgette and Gwen. “What about you two?”

 

Bridgette smiled. “Mine was at a surf competition two years ago. There was a really cute assistant lifeguard, and we...kinda had a thing.” Her face fell. “For about a week. Then she decided she was straight after all. I was her ‘experimentation’, and normally I’d be cool with that, but she wasn’t up front about it. Still, I’m glad it happened. I’d already figured out that I was bi, but she was the first girl I’d ever fallen for, you know?”

 

Courtney nearly fell out of her seat. “You like girls?”

 

Bridgette nodded. “Yeah. I...hope that’s not a problem?”

 

Courtney shook her head. “No! No, absolutely not…it’s not that, it’s just…”

 

Trent yanked her aside. “Okay, you are floundering out there. You badly need this girls-who-like-girls bonding, so I’ll grab Gwen for a bit so you and Bridgette can talk, and -”

 

“And so can you and Gwen,” Courtney finished. She sighed. “Fine. I  _ do  _ really need advice…”

 

They returned to the other two, Trent almost pushing his stepsister into her seat. “You know what we need? Drinks. Gwen, wanna come grab some with me?”

 

“I...uh, sure,” Gwen replied, following Trent up the stairs and leaving Courtney alone with Bridgette.

 

“So what’d Trent want?” the blonde asked, and Courtney took a deep breath.

 

“I think I like girls, and I need help. That’s why I was so surprised when I found out you did - you’re the first openly sapphic girl I’ve met.”

 

“Oh, was that it? You could have just asked me. I’m always down to talk.”

 

“No, that wouldn’t have worked,” Courtney laughed nervously. “I’m terrible at asking for help. Trent’s the only other one who knows, and  _ he  _ certainly wasn’t going to be of any assistance.”

 

“I don’t know,” Bridgette said, a thoughtful look on her face. “I think there could be something with him and Gwen.”

 

Had she not been sworn to secrecy by Trent, Courtney probably would have told Bridgette all about her stepbrother’s age-old crush on Gwen, but instead she held her tongue, answering with a wistful “Maybe.”

 

“I’m telling you, there’s something th -” Bridgette froze mid-sentence as Trent and Gwen returned, cans of pop in their hands.

 

“So…what’d we miss?” Trent asked, raising his eyebrows. 

 

“Oh, nothing important!” Courtney replied dismissively. “Where were we?”

 

“I think it was my turn to talk about my first kiss,” Gwen answered. “It sucked. The kiss itself was...okay, it was great, but the guy turned out to be an asshole. The whole thing’s ruined for me now.”

 

Courtney put a hand on her shoulder. “Okay, I know I said I wouldn’t elaborate, but...I understand the feeling. My first - and so far, last - relationship...it was electrifying.” She balled her free hand into a fist. “But then that motherfucker cheated on me, and my whole view of him - of  _ us  _ \- came crashing down.”

 

She looked at the ground. “I should have seen it coming, though. I was an awful girlfriend. I...God, I never want to be that person again. If I’m ever in another relationship I won’t make the same mistakes again, that’s for sure.”

 

It was Gwen’s turn to be the supportive one. “It’s still not your fault you were cheated on, though. He should have had the decency to at least break up with you first. I’ve been cheated on before too. It’s  _ never  _ your fault.”

 

“Thanks, Gwen,” Courtney smiled. “That really hel-ow! Hey!”

 

Trent had pulled her aside again.

 

“What gives, Trent?” she asked. “I was bonding with Gwen!”

 

“That’s just it!” he whispered. “Can you help me out? Please?”

 

Courtney rolled her eyes. “Just get to know her yourself. I’m your stepsister, not your personal wingwoman. Besides, Bridgette said she thought you and Gwen would make a good couple. Believe in yourself! You already know some of her favourite artists, just take her to a concert or something! Or find out her interests! Just do it on your own or it’ll all be meaningless.”

 

Thought passed over Trent’s green eyes as he nodded. “Right. Right. Just be me. Get to know her. Wait. Courtney. What about... _ that _ ?”

 

“You mean your OCD?  _ That  _ I can help with. I’ll teach you some of my tricks.”

 

“Your...tricks?” He gave her a confused look. “Tricks for what?”

 

Courtney rolled her eyes again. “For dealing with OCD, Trent. I have it too. Why do you think I have everything so meticulously planned out to the point where I completely shut down if anything goes wrong?”

 

“I...you have a point. Alright. Teach me your ways.”

 

Courtney winked. “You’ve come to the right girl. Now go and bond with her!” 

 

She gave him a light shove before they returned to the other two. 

 

Trent took a seat next to Gwen. “So...how long have you been playing drums?”

 

The pale girl thought for a moment. “Since I was six or seven...so around ten years. What about you? How long have you been playing guitar?”

 

“Twelve years, if you count the baby practice guitar I had. Otherwise, same as you. Ten years.”

 

As Trent and Gwen swapped facts about themselves - favourites, embarrassing moments, would-you-rathers - Courtney turned her attention to Bridgette.

 

“Looks like they do have a connection. You were right.”

 

The other girl squinted at her. “You knew, didn’t you? Trent has it bad for her.”

 

Courtney feigned innocence. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

Bridgette smiled. “If you say so. Hey, maybe we should do what they’re doing. Get to know each other.”

 

The brunette nodded. “Sure!”

 

After a minute of thought, Bridgette asked the first question. “What’s your worst fear? Mine is having to spend the night in the woods alone.”

 

“Um…” Courtney bit her lip. “Do you promise not to laugh?” 

 

Bridgette nodded solemnly.

 

“Okay. I’m...I’m terrified of green jelly. It’s...ugh, it’s like sugary, jiggly snot!”

 

She shuddered. “Just thinking about it gives me the creeps…”

 

“Tell me more about yourself,” Bridgette cut in. “There’s obviously more to you than what you’re afraid of.”

 

Courtney smiled. “Well, I’m mixed race - Cuban and Indian. I have two older sisters, both in university...Oh! And I want to be a lawyer. Music’s just a hobby of mine, even if I wish I  _ could  _ make a career out of it. What about you?”

 

“I come from a big family - my parents are big on adoption. I have three brothers; one older, two younger, and three sisters. I’m the oldest of the girls. I surf, or used to, anyways, and I like to think I’m pretty decent at it. I want to be a vet one day...sorry if I’m not very interesting,” Bridgette laughed. “Talking about myself isn’t one of my strong points. I know you have two sisters, but what’s it like having Trent as a stepbrother? You two seem to get along well.”

 

“We didn’t at first,” Courtney admitted. “Or, really...I didn’t try to. I’m bad with changes, and I - selfishly - assumed my mom wouldn’t move on after my dad died. So when she started dating Trent’s dad, I was furious, and after they got married I sort of took things out on Trent. Luckily, he’s more patient than I am, and now we’re really close. He even helped me get over my ex.”

 

“Wow. My brothers would never do that.” 

 

“Trent’s a nice guy. I just hope things go well for him here. He likes Gwen a lot, and…” Courtney clapped a hand over her mouth. “Fuck. You weren’t supposed to know about that. Forget I said anything. Want a drink?”

 

She held out one of the cans with a sheepish smile. “I don’t know what kind you like, but we have lots…”

 

As Bridgette perused the selection of pop, Courtney mentally slapped herself. Some sister she was, accidentally blurting out Trent’s secret crush. At least Gwen hadn’t overheard.

 

She tapped the blonde on the shoulder. “Bridgette, please please  _ please  _ don’t tell. Like you said, they have a great thing going, and I don’t want to ruin it.”

 

Bridgette made an X over her heart. “I promise I won’t. Your secret’s safe with me, Court.”

 

The brunette’s eyes widened, and Bridgette rubbed the back of her head. “Are you not a nickname person? Sorry!”

 

Courtney smiled. “No, it’s fine. I’m just not used to people besides Trent calling me that. But I like it when you say it.”

 

Honestly, Bridgette could probably call her almost anything and Courtney would have been okay with it. There was just something about the blonde’s kind, easygoing nature that made her feel comfortable. 

 

The ringing signalling that it was nine o’ clock snapped Courtney back into the present. “I guess I’ll see you on Monday,” she said.

 

“Yeah! I’ll see you then...but first, can you give me your phone for a sec?” Bridgette asked.

 

Courtney handed it to her. “Sure, but...why?”

 

“So I can give you my contact information, of course! I had a really good time tonight, and I think we’re going to be great friends.”

 

After Bridgette and Gwen had left, Courtney sidled up to her brother. 

 

“So, Casanova, how’d things go with Gwen?”

 

Trent sighed. “Not as well as I thought…”

 

Courtney readied herself to reassure him, but then he grinned. “They went  _ better _ ! I got her information  _ and  _ she agreed to meet me for coffee after school on Tuesday.”

 

Courtney grinned. “Sounds like you had a productive night.”

 

Trent grinned back. “And what about you? I noticed you and Bridgette were getting to know each other.” He raised his eyebrows.

 

Courtney elbowed him. “Shut up. We’re just friends, Trent. I only met her a few days ago.”

 

“Yeah, yeah. Riiight. I’m gonna head to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

 

“Goodnight.”

 

As soon as she was sure he was out of sight, Courtney buried her head in her hands and sighed.

 

She wasn’t falling for Bridgette. Not in the least. 

 

Her eyes drifted to her phone, where her new friend had input her number. She’d added a little wave emoji to the end of her name, which made Courtney smile. 

 

But she still wasn’t falling for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the last chapter that remains unchanged - ch 4 will be edited, and then every chapter after that will follow whatever that sets down. chapter four's main problem was that i crammed too many ideas into too short a time and the fic kind of suffered for it, so the new ch 4 will be a lot less...busy, i guess.

**Author's Note:**

> hey! its me again, and this is a reupload because chapter four of this fic was really rushed the first time and so i threw the baby out with the bathwater but uh. iwbygf is back! and this time its even better.
> 
> as usual thank you for reading, and my td tumblr is @gwidgecourt


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